...............................................................
If you think you must be doing good to be called a neocon , there is little doubt you are one.
Osama Bin Laden in Iran -
- Thread starter THE KOD
- Start date
If you think you must be doing good to be called a neocon , there is little doubt you are one.
..............................................................
thats pretty scary to think about
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v60oNUoHBYM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v60oNUoHBYM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
- Feb 26, 2001
- 13,593
- 164
- 63
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I think its Rusty
and the kid trying to interview him is a American indian
New Bill Gives Obama ?Kill Switch? To Shut Down The Internet
Government would have ?absolute power? to seize control of the world wide web under Lieberman legislation
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The federal government would have ?absolute power? to shut down the Internet under the terms of a new US Senate bill being pushed by Joe Lieberman, legislation which would hand President Obama a figurative ?kill switch? to seize control of the world wide web in response to a Homeland Security directive.
Lieberman has been pushing for government regulation of the Internet for years under the guise of cybersecurity, but this new bill goes even further in handing emergency powers over to the feds which could be used to silence free speech under the pretext of a national emergency.
?The legislation says that companies such as broadband providers, search engines or software firms that the US Government selects ?shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed? by the Department of Homeland Security. Anyone failing to comply would be fined,? reports ZDNet?s Declan McCullagh.
The 197-page bill (PDF) is entitled Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, or PCNAA.
Technology lobbying group TechAmerica warned that the legislation created ?the potential for absolute power,? while the Center for Democracy and Technology worried that the bill?s emergency powers ?include authority to shut down or limit internet traffic on private systems.?
The bill has the vehement support of Senator Jay Rockefeller, who last year asked during a congressional hearing, ?Would it had been better if we?d have never invented the Internet?? while fearmongering about cyber-terrorists preparing attacks.
The largest Internet-based corporations are seemingly happy with the bill, primarily because it contains language that will give them immunity from civil lawsuits and also reimburse them for any costs incurred if the Internet is shut down for a period of time.
?If there?s an ?incident related to a cyber vulnerability? after the President has declared an emergency and the affected company has followed federal standards, plaintiffs? lawyers cannot collect damages for economic harm. And if the harm is caused by an emergency order from the Feds, not only does the possibility of damages virtually disappear, but the US Treasury will even pick up the private company?s tab,? writes McCullagh.
Tom Gann, McAfee?s vice president for government relations, described the bill as a ?very important piece of legislation?.
As we have repeatedly warned for years, the federal government is desperate to seize control of the Internet because the establishment is petrified at the fact that alternative and independent media outlets are now eclipsing corporate media outlets in terms of audience share, trust, and influence.
We witnessed another example of this on Monday when establishment Congressman Bob Etheridge was publicly shamed after he was shown on video assaulting two college students who asked him a question. Two kids with a flip cam and a You Tube account could very well have changed the course of a state election, another startling reminder of the power of the Internet and independent media, and why the establishment is desperate to take that power away.
The government has been searching for any avenue possible through which to regulate free speech on the Internet and strangle alternative media outlets, with the FTC recently proposing a ?Drudge Tax? that would force independent media organizations to pay fees that would be used to fund mainstream newspapers.
Similar legislation aimed at imposing Chinese-style censorship of the Internet and giving the state the power to shut down networks has already been passed globally, including in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
We have extensively covered efforts to scrap the internet as we know it and move toward a greatly restricted ?internet 2″ system. Handing government the power to control the Internet would only be the first step towards this system, whereby individual ID?s and government permission would be required simply to operate a website.
The Lieberman bill needs to be met with fierce opposition at every level and from across the political spectrum. Regulation of the Internet would not only represent a massive assault on free speech, it would also create new roadblocks for e-commerce and as a consequence further devastate the economy.
..............................................................
ah chit
wait until Illum sees this one.
I guess its necessary though in the event of a
huge security problem.
Government would have ?absolute power? to seize control of the world wide web under Lieberman legislation
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The federal government would have ?absolute power? to shut down the Internet under the terms of a new US Senate bill being pushed by Joe Lieberman, legislation which would hand President Obama a figurative ?kill switch? to seize control of the world wide web in response to a Homeland Security directive.
Lieberman has been pushing for government regulation of the Internet for years under the guise of cybersecurity, but this new bill goes even further in handing emergency powers over to the feds which could be used to silence free speech under the pretext of a national emergency.
?The legislation says that companies such as broadband providers, search engines or software firms that the US Government selects ?shall immediately comply with any emergency measure or action developed? by the Department of Homeland Security. Anyone failing to comply would be fined,? reports ZDNet?s Declan McCullagh.
The 197-page bill (PDF) is entitled Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, or PCNAA.
Technology lobbying group TechAmerica warned that the legislation created ?the potential for absolute power,? while the Center for Democracy and Technology worried that the bill?s emergency powers ?include authority to shut down or limit internet traffic on private systems.?
The bill has the vehement support of Senator Jay Rockefeller, who last year asked during a congressional hearing, ?Would it had been better if we?d have never invented the Internet?? while fearmongering about cyber-terrorists preparing attacks.
The largest Internet-based corporations are seemingly happy with the bill, primarily because it contains language that will give them immunity from civil lawsuits and also reimburse them for any costs incurred if the Internet is shut down for a period of time.
?If there?s an ?incident related to a cyber vulnerability? after the President has declared an emergency and the affected company has followed federal standards, plaintiffs? lawyers cannot collect damages for economic harm. And if the harm is caused by an emergency order from the Feds, not only does the possibility of damages virtually disappear, but the US Treasury will even pick up the private company?s tab,? writes McCullagh.
Tom Gann, McAfee?s vice president for government relations, described the bill as a ?very important piece of legislation?.
As we have repeatedly warned for years, the federal government is desperate to seize control of the Internet because the establishment is petrified at the fact that alternative and independent media outlets are now eclipsing corporate media outlets in terms of audience share, trust, and influence.
We witnessed another example of this on Monday when establishment Congressman Bob Etheridge was publicly shamed after he was shown on video assaulting two college students who asked him a question. Two kids with a flip cam and a You Tube account could very well have changed the course of a state election, another startling reminder of the power of the Internet and independent media, and why the establishment is desperate to take that power away.
The government has been searching for any avenue possible through which to regulate free speech on the Internet and strangle alternative media outlets, with the FTC recently proposing a ?Drudge Tax? that would force independent media organizations to pay fees that would be used to fund mainstream newspapers.
Similar legislation aimed at imposing Chinese-style censorship of the Internet and giving the state the power to shut down networks has already been passed globally, including in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
We have extensively covered efforts to scrap the internet as we know it and move toward a greatly restricted ?internet 2″ system. Handing government the power to control the Internet would only be the first step towards this system, whereby individual ID?s and government permission would be required simply to operate a website.
The Lieberman bill needs to be met with fierce opposition at every level and from across the political spectrum. Regulation of the Internet would not only represent a massive assault on free speech, it would also create new roadblocks for e-commerce and as a consequence further devastate the economy.
..............................................................
ah chit
wait until Illum sees this one.
I guess its necessary though in the event of a
huge security problem.
- Feb 26, 2001
- 13,593
- 164
- 63
..................................................................
Well I know you said that but I dont remember
make any promises about those that killed my ancestors.
Costner's centrifuges deploy for Gulf oil cleanup
ShareThisPrint E-mail By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
The Associated Press
PORT FOURCHON, La. ? Kevin Costner is taking Hollywood star power and some oil-separating centrifuges to the fight against the Gulf of Mexico spill.
Actor Kevin Costner, center, founding partner of Ocean Therapy Solutions, speaks to Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell at a news conference about his company's centrifuge machine designed to separate oil and water in Port Fourchon, La., Friday, June 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber, pool)
Energy giant BP PLC has ordered 32 of the centrifuges from a company co-founded by the Hollywood actor. Costner joined BP officials for an inspection Friday of a barge that will take three of the devices into the Gulf starting this weekend.
Officials say skimmer vessels will pump oily water onto the barge where the centrifuges can process a total of 600,000 gallons a day, separating the gunk from water. Costner says he "didn't come to save the day" but is gratified the technology is being deployed.
Desperate crews are trying an array of tools, even shop vacs and vacuum trucks, in their quest to clean the Gulf waters.
___
................................................................
Go Costner :00hour
ShareThisPrint E-mail By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
The Associated Press
PORT FOURCHON, La. ? Kevin Costner is taking Hollywood star power and some oil-separating centrifuges to the fight against the Gulf of Mexico spill.
Actor Kevin Costner, center, founding partner of Ocean Therapy Solutions, speaks to Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell at a news conference about his company's centrifuge machine designed to separate oil and water in Port Fourchon, La., Friday, June 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber, pool)
Energy giant BP PLC has ordered 32 of the centrifuges from a company co-founded by the Hollywood actor. Costner joined BP officials for an inspection Friday of a barge that will take three of the devices into the Gulf starting this weekend.
Officials say skimmer vessels will pump oily water onto the barge where the centrifuges can process a total of 600,000 gallons a day, separating the gunk from water. Costner says he "didn't come to save the day" but is gratified the technology is being deployed.
Desperate crews are trying an array of tools, even shop vacs and vacuum trucks, in their quest to clean the Gulf waters.
___
................................................................
Go Costner :00hour
Typical. Hollywood liberals offer REAL SOLUTIONS while politicians like Joe Barton sit in Washington apologizing to BP because
our President actually wants to hold them accountable for destroying the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast economy.
And BP's solution to cleanup in the Gulf is...
:mj07: :142smilie
Trench
Breaking News
Breaking News
London -- Embattled British petroleum giant BP is attempting a hostile takeover of Sears, in an apparent attempt to corner the market on shop vacs.
:142smilie
Trench
Breaking News
London -- Embattled British petroleum giant BP is attempting a hostile takeover of Sears, in an apparent attempt to corner the market on shop vacs.
:142smilie
Trench
hank1234 you seem to be confused, I don't want to pull out until we undo the damage Ronald Regan and Ollie North did, by removing the Taliban from power.
Bush Sr. is best friends with Bin Laden's Dad, little George and Osama played together as children, Ollie North put them in Power with your tax do...
............................................................
this was on a blog
It is not hard to believe it could be true
think about the irony of this
Bush Sr. is best friends with Bin Laden's Dad, little George and Osama played together as children, Ollie North put them in Power with your tax do...
............................................................
this was on a blog
It is not hard to believe it could be true
think about the irony of this
US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Follow Israel news on and .
Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.
One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.
International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.
Despite Egypt?s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.
The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.
The magazine?s website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with "volunteer marines? from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, ?The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country?s nuclear program.?
Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel?s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has delayed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.
Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah support Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination for former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month. (IsraelNationalNews.com
......................................................
can anyone say confrontation looming
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Follow Israel news on and .
Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.
One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.
International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.
Despite Egypt?s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.
The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.
The magazine?s website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with "volunteer marines? from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, ?The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country?s nuclear program.?
Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel?s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has delayed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.
Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah support Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination for former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month. (IsraelNationalNews.com
......................................................
can anyone say confrontation looming
For US and Russia, it's now a walk in the park
Buzz up!106 votes Send
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer ? Thu Jun 24, 5:58 pm ET
WASHINGTON ? The president of the United States and the president of Russia enjoyed quite a summer's day on Thursday: Grab some burgers, joke about Twitter, take a walk in the park.
No summit, no sanctions, no weapons treaty. Yet they did strike a deal on chicken exports.
This is the new day, on intentional display, between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It's not all about nukes. Obama's first time hosting Medvedev at the White House will probably be remembered most for the extent to which they got along like a couple of buddies.
You want fries with that? Yes, they did. In fact, they shared some.
It was all a metaphor for two countries that were once at risk of Cold War annihilation, and just two years ago were back to cold shoulder animosity.
And for Obama, on an oppressively hot day, in the midst of a most difficult week, it amounted to a surprising chance to relax.
The buzz around the White House centered much more on the presidents' unexpected jaunt for cheeseburgers to Ray's Hell Burger in Virginia ? Medvedev took jalapenos_ and less about the many substantive matters they discussed.
Even Obama acknowledged the topics seemed a bit foreign.
"You know, sometimes it's odd when you're sitting in historic meetings with your Russian counterpart to spend time talking about chicken," Obama conceded in describing an agreement to export U.S poultry products to Russia.
.............................................................
Russkies like burgers
Buzz up!106 votes Send
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer ? Thu Jun 24, 5:58 pm ET
WASHINGTON ? The president of the United States and the president of Russia enjoyed quite a summer's day on Thursday: Grab some burgers, joke about Twitter, take a walk in the park.
No summit, no sanctions, no weapons treaty. Yet they did strike a deal on chicken exports.
This is the new day, on intentional display, between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It's not all about nukes. Obama's first time hosting Medvedev at the White House will probably be remembered most for the extent to which they got along like a couple of buddies.
You want fries with that? Yes, they did. In fact, they shared some.
It was all a metaphor for two countries that were once at risk of Cold War annihilation, and just two years ago were back to cold shoulder animosity.
And for Obama, on an oppressively hot day, in the midst of a most difficult week, it amounted to a surprising chance to relax.
The buzz around the White House centered much more on the presidents' unexpected jaunt for cheeseburgers to Ray's Hell Burger in Virginia ? Medvedev took jalapenos_ and less about the many substantive matters they discussed.
Even Obama acknowledged the topics seemed a bit foreign.
"You know, sometimes it's odd when you're sitting in historic meetings with your Russian counterpart to spend time talking about chicken," Obama conceded in describing an agreement to export U.S poultry products to Russia.
.............................................................
Russkies like burgers
Blogger loses job; Post loses standing among conservatives
Post blogger Dave Weigel, who wrote about the conservative movement, resigned amid controversy today following disclosure of disparaging e-mails he?d written about some of the very people he was hired to cover.
Weigel bears responsibility for sarcastic and scornful comments he made in e-mails leaked from a supposedly private listserv called ?Journolist,? started in 2007 by fellow Post blogger and friend Ezra Klein. Weigel?s e-mails showed strikingly poor judgment and revealed a bias that only underscored existing complaints from conservatives that he couldn?t impartially cover them.
But his departure also raises questions about whether The Post has adequately defined the role of bloggers like Weigel. Are they neutral reporters or ideologues?
And, given the disdainful comments in his e-mails, there is the separate question of whether he was miscast from the outset when he was hired earlier this year.
Raju Narisetti, the managing editor who oversees The Post?s Web site, said Weigel called him last night and offered to resign after Fishbowl D.C. initially revealed some damaging e-mails. Narisetti said Weigel alerted him that another Web site, the conservative Daily Caller, planned to disclose more e-mails today.
"This morning, after reading them, I accepted his resignation," Narisetti said. Contacted by e-mail, Weigel replied: ?I no longer work for the Post.?
The e-mails made negative comments about Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, among others. One suggested it ?would be a vastly better world? if Webmeister Matt Drudge ?decided to handle his emotional problems more responsibly, and set himself on fire.?
Weigel apologized online yesterday, but the damage was too severe to save his job.
?I don?t think you need to be a conservative to cover the conservative movement,? Narisetti told me late today. ?But you do need to be impartial... in your views.?
He said that when Weigel was hired, he was vetted in the same way that other prospective Post journalists are screened. He interviewed with a variety of top editors, his writings were reviewed and his references were checked, Narisetti said.
?But we?re living in an era when maybe we need to add a level? of inquiry, he said. ?It may be in our interests to ask potential reporters: ?In private... have you expressed any opinions that would make it difficult for you to do your job.?
Weigel?s exit, and the events that prompted it, have further damaged The Post among conservatives who believe it is not properly attuned to their ideology or activities. Ironically, Weigel was hired to address precisely those concerns.
With bloggers such as Weigel, ?I think The Post needs to decide what it wants to be online,? said Dan Gainor, a vice president at the conservative Media Research Center. ?Does it want to be opinion? Or, does it want to be news? The problem here was that it was never clear.?
?If it?s going to be opinion, it ought to have somebody on the conservative side -- something Dave Weigel never was,? he said.
If The Post wants to assign a ?good neutral reporter? to cover conservatives, ?we?d be thrilled,? said Gainor. But quickly added, Weigel ?wasn?t one. He looked at the conservative movement as if he was visiting a zoo. We?re more than that.?
Gainor raises valid points. Klein?s blog posts clearly pass through a liberal prism. For that reason, liberals have a comfort level with what he writes, and conservatives know where he?s coming from, even if they disagree. In contrast, Weigel?s blog seemed to confuse many conservatives who contacted me. Was he supposed to be a neutral reporter, some wondered? Others complained that he was a liberal trying to write about conservatives he disdained.
?We will look for someone to replace Dave,? Narisetti said.
Instead of just a replacement, The Post might consider two: one conservative with a Klein-like ideological bent, and another who can cover the conservative movement in the role of a truly neutral reporter.
In the meantime, Post managers would be wise to remind all staffers that personal opinions, expressed privately on listservs or through social media, can prove damaging if made public.
Klein addressed that danger this afternoon in a thoughtful blog post explaining why he is closing down Journolist, and why he is saddened that leaks from the listserv led to the resignation of Weigel, a ?dear friend.? Klein wrote:
There's a lot of faux-intimacy on the Web. Readers like that intimacy, or at least some of them do. But it's dangerous. A newspaper column is public, and writers treat it as such. So too is a blog. But Twitter? It's public, but it feels, somehow, looser, safer. Facebook is less public than Twitter, and feels even more intimate. A private e-mail list is not public, but it is electronically archived text, and it is protected only by a password field and the good will of the members. It's easy to talk as if it's private without considering the possibility, unlikely as it is, that it will one day become public.
Alas, it took only one listserv participant to bundle up Weigel?s archived comments and start leaking them outside the group. The result is that Weigel lost his job. But the bigger loss is The Post?s standing among conservatives.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////
DTBlackgumby
cross this one off your list of referances
Post blogger Dave Weigel, who wrote about the conservative movement, resigned amid controversy today following disclosure of disparaging e-mails he?d written about some of the very people he was hired to cover.
Weigel bears responsibility for sarcastic and scornful comments he made in e-mails leaked from a supposedly private listserv called ?Journolist,? started in 2007 by fellow Post blogger and friend Ezra Klein. Weigel?s e-mails showed strikingly poor judgment and revealed a bias that only underscored existing complaints from conservatives that he couldn?t impartially cover them.
But his departure also raises questions about whether The Post has adequately defined the role of bloggers like Weigel. Are they neutral reporters or ideologues?
And, given the disdainful comments in his e-mails, there is the separate question of whether he was miscast from the outset when he was hired earlier this year.
Raju Narisetti, the managing editor who oversees The Post?s Web site, said Weigel called him last night and offered to resign after Fishbowl D.C. initially revealed some damaging e-mails. Narisetti said Weigel alerted him that another Web site, the conservative Daily Caller, planned to disclose more e-mails today.
"This morning, after reading them, I accepted his resignation," Narisetti said. Contacted by e-mail, Weigel replied: ?I no longer work for the Post.?
The e-mails made negative comments about Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, among others. One suggested it ?would be a vastly better world? if Webmeister Matt Drudge ?decided to handle his emotional problems more responsibly, and set himself on fire.?
Weigel apologized online yesterday, but the damage was too severe to save his job.
?I don?t think you need to be a conservative to cover the conservative movement,? Narisetti told me late today. ?But you do need to be impartial... in your views.?
He said that when Weigel was hired, he was vetted in the same way that other prospective Post journalists are screened. He interviewed with a variety of top editors, his writings were reviewed and his references were checked, Narisetti said.
?But we?re living in an era when maybe we need to add a level? of inquiry, he said. ?It may be in our interests to ask potential reporters: ?In private... have you expressed any opinions that would make it difficult for you to do your job.?
Weigel?s exit, and the events that prompted it, have further damaged The Post among conservatives who believe it is not properly attuned to their ideology or activities. Ironically, Weigel was hired to address precisely those concerns.
With bloggers such as Weigel, ?I think The Post needs to decide what it wants to be online,? said Dan Gainor, a vice president at the conservative Media Research Center. ?Does it want to be opinion? Or, does it want to be news? The problem here was that it was never clear.?
?If it?s going to be opinion, it ought to have somebody on the conservative side -- something Dave Weigel never was,? he said.
If The Post wants to assign a ?good neutral reporter? to cover conservatives, ?we?d be thrilled,? said Gainor. But quickly added, Weigel ?wasn?t one. He looked at the conservative movement as if he was visiting a zoo. We?re more than that.?
Gainor raises valid points. Klein?s blog posts clearly pass through a liberal prism. For that reason, liberals have a comfort level with what he writes, and conservatives know where he?s coming from, even if they disagree. In contrast, Weigel?s blog seemed to confuse many conservatives who contacted me. Was he supposed to be a neutral reporter, some wondered? Others complained that he was a liberal trying to write about conservatives he disdained.
?We will look for someone to replace Dave,? Narisetti said.
Instead of just a replacement, The Post might consider two: one conservative with a Klein-like ideological bent, and another who can cover the conservative movement in the role of a truly neutral reporter.
In the meantime, Post managers would be wise to remind all staffers that personal opinions, expressed privately on listservs or through social media, can prove damaging if made public.
Klein addressed that danger this afternoon in a thoughtful blog post explaining why he is closing down Journolist, and why he is saddened that leaks from the listserv led to the resignation of Weigel, a ?dear friend.? Klein wrote:
There's a lot of faux-intimacy on the Web. Readers like that intimacy, or at least some of them do. But it's dangerous. A newspaper column is public, and writers treat it as such. So too is a blog. But Twitter? It's public, but it feels, somehow, looser, safer. Facebook is less public than Twitter, and feels even more intimate. A private e-mail list is not public, but it is electronically archived text, and it is protected only by a password field and the good will of the members. It's easy to talk as if it's private without considering the possibility, unlikely as it is, that it will one day become public.
Alas, it took only one listserv participant to bundle up Weigel?s archived comments and start leaking them outside the group. The result is that Weigel lost his job. But the bigger loss is The Post?s standing among conservatives.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////
DTBlackgumby
cross this one off your list of referances
Democrats push for new Internet sales taxes
by Declan McCullagh
The halcyon days of tax-free Internet shopping will, if Rep. Bill Delahunt gets his way, soon be coming to an abrupt end.
Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a bill on Thursday that would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the option for many Americans to shop over the Internet without paying state sales taxes.
At the moment, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors usually aren't required to pay sales taxes. Californians buying books from Amazon.com or cameras from Manhattan's B&H Photo, for example, won't be required to cough up the sales taxes that they would if shopping at a local mall.
This is hardly a new debate: pro-tax officials and state governments have been pressing Congress to require taxes to be collected for a decade or so. They argue that reduced sales tax revenue threatens budgets for schools and police, and say that, as a matter of fairness, online retailers should be forced to collect the same taxes that brick-and-mortar retailers do.
But with states scrambling for new sources of revenue during what may be a double-dip recession, pro-tax lobbyists are hoping that they'll have better luck this year. The National Conference of State Legislatures applauded Delahunt's legislation, saying he should be commended for allowing states to collect as much as $23 billion in new taxes.
So did the Retail Industry Leaders Association, whose tax committee members include Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco, AutoZone, Target, and IKEA.
On the other side are groups that advocate for lower taxes and retailers including Amazon.com and eBay. In a statement on Friday, Tod Cohen, eBay's vice president for government relations said: "At a time when unemployment rates are high and small businesses across the country are closing shop, we are confident that Congress will protect small Internet retailers and the consumers they serve from another Internet tax scheme."
Co-sponsors of Delahunt's bill, the "Main Street Fairness Act," include Reps. Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and Peter Welch, all Democrats. No Republican has signed on as a co-sponsor.
The final version of Delahunt's legislation had not yet been made public on Friday, and his office did not immediately respond to queries from CNET. But it's expected to be similar to other versions he's introduced before.
Earlier versions were drafted in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision saying that, in general, out-of-state retailers can't be required to collect sales taxes unless Congress changes the law. The justices noted in a 1992 case called Quill v. North Dakota: "Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mail order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes."
One exception to that rule is a legal concept called "nexus," which means a company can be forced to collect sales taxes if it has a sufficient business presence. If Amazon had an office in California, it already would be collecting sales tax for Golden State residents. (Another exception is the sale of cigarettes, which is covered by the Jenkins Act.)
In response to complexity concerns, the pro-tax forces have offered a proposal that they hope Congress can be persuaded to adopt. The concept is called the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement, invented in 2002 by state tax officials hoping to straighten out some of sales tax laws' most notorious convolutions.
Since then, some 24 states have signed on, either wholly or partially, to the agreement, meaning they agree to simplify their tax codes and make them uniform. If enough states participate, proponents believe it will be easier to convince Congress to make sales collection mandatory for out-of-state retailers.
"Despite a decade of trying to reduce the unreasonable burdens cited by the Supreme Court, the actual simplification achieved by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project is not nearly sufficient to convince Congress that it should abandon its role in protecting interstate commerce," Steve DelBianco, executive director of the NetChoice coalition, said in e-mail on Friday. Coalition members include AOL, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo.
There is one caveat under existing law: online purchases from sites like Amazon and eBay only seem to arrive tax-free. Legally, however, purchasers are required to pay their own state's sales tax rate--the concept is called a "use tax"--and then voluntarily report the amount owed at tax time. But, state tax collectors say, few do.
State tax collectors haven't exactly been idle while waiting for Congress. They've been trying to force Amazon to turn over purchase records in North Carolina, attempting to force retailers to become tax-tattlers in California and Tennessee, and putting the squeeze on affiliate programs in Colorado.
Earlier this week, the Direct Marketing Association sued Colorado, saying its law requiring out-of-state retailers to turn over purchase history information is unconstitutional.
...........................................................
I am not totally against this. We should pay income tax on things we buy on the internet.
With the 23 billion dollars
we put half into social security because the goverment has stolen the money to fund it
and it will go broke if we dont.
and half goes into Healthcare.
After a few years things will be ok .
23 billion a year , just think about it.
instead they will just piss it away on another stupid project for each state.
by Declan McCullagh
The halcyon days of tax-free Internet shopping will, if Rep. Bill Delahunt gets his way, soon be coming to an abrupt end.
Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a bill on Thursday that would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the option for many Americans to shop over the Internet without paying state sales taxes.
At the moment, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors usually aren't required to pay sales taxes. Californians buying books from Amazon.com or cameras from Manhattan's B&H Photo, for example, won't be required to cough up the sales taxes that they would if shopping at a local mall.
This is hardly a new debate: pro-tax officials and state governments have been pressing Congress to require taxes to be collected for a decade or so. They argue that reduced sales tax revenue threatens budgets for schools and police, and say that, as a matter of fairness, online retailers should be forced to collect the same taxes that brick-and-mortar retailers do.
But with states scrambling for new sources of revenue during what may be a double-dip recession, pro-tax lobbyists are hoping that they'll have better luck this year. The National Conference of State Legislatures applauded Delahunt's legislation, saying he should be commended for allowing states to collect as much as $23 billion in new taxes.
So did the Retail Industry Leaders Association, whose tax committee members include Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco, AutoZone, Target, and IKEA.
On the other side are groups that advocate for lower taxes and retailers including Amazon.com and eBay. In a statement on Friday, Tod Cohen, eBay's vice president for government relations said: "At a time when unemployment rates are high and small businesses across the country are closing shop, we are confident that Congress will protect small Internet retailers and the consumers they serve from another Internet tax scheme."
Co-sponsors of Delahunt's bill, the "Main Street Fairness Act," include Reps. Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and Peter Welch, all Democrats. No Republican has signed on as a co-sponsor.
The final version of Delahunt's legislation had not yet been made public on Friday, and his office did not immediately respond to queries from CNET. But it's expected to be similar to other versions he's introduced before.
Earlier versions were drafted in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision saying that, in general, out-of-state retailers can't be required to collect sales taxes unless Congress changes the law. The justices noted in a 1992 case called Quill v. North Dakota: "Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mail order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes."
One exception to that rule is a legal concept called "nexus," which means a company can be forced to collect sales taxes if it has a sufficient business presence. If Amazon had an office in California, it already would be collecting sales tax for Golden State residents. (Another exception is the sale of cigarettes, which is covered by the Jenkins Act.)
In response to complexity concerns, the pro-tax forces have offered a proposal that they hope Congress can be persuaded to adopt. The concept is called the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement, invented in 2002 by state tax officials hoping to straighten out some of sales tax laws' most notorious convolutions.
Since then, some 24 states have signed on, either wholly or partially, to the agreement, meaning they agree to simplify their tax codes and make them uniform. If enough states participate, proponents believe it will be easier to convince Congress to make sales collection mandatory for out-of-state retailers.
"Despite a decade of trying to reduce the unreasonable burdens cited by the Supreme Court, the actual simplification achieved by the Streamlined Sales Tax Project is not nearly sufficient to convince Congress that it should abandon its role in protecting interstate commerce," Steve DelBianco, executive director of the NetChoice coalition, said in e-mail on Friday. Coalition members include AOL, eBay, Expedia, and Yahoo.
There is one caveat under existing law: online purchases from sites like Amazon and eBay only seem to arrive tax-free. Legally, however, purchasers are required to pay their own state's sales tax rate--the concept is called a "use tax"--and then voluntarily report the amount owed at tax time. But, state tax collectors say, few do.
State tax collectors haven't exactly been idle while waiting for Congress. They've been trying to force Amazon to turn over purchase records in North Carolina, attempting to force retailers to become tax-tattlers in California and Tennessee, and putting the squeeze on affiliate programs in Colorado.
Earlier this week, the Direct Marketing Association sued Colorado, saying its law requiring out-of-state retailers to turn over purchase history information is unconstitutional.
...........................................................
I am not totally against this. We should pay income tax on things we buy on the internet.
With the 23 billion dollars
we put half into social security because the goverment has stolen the money to fund it
and it will go broke if we dont.
and half goes into Healthcare.
After a few years things will be ok .
23 billion a year , just think about it.
instead they will just piss it away on another stupid project for each state.
Last edited:
'Virginity test' helps free 3 in Vietnam rape case
The Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam ? An acupuncturist who claims she can detect a man's virginity based on a small dot on the ear has become a minor celebrity in Vietnam, where she is credited with helping to free three convicted rapists from prison.
Traditional medicine practitioner Pham Thi Hong started lobbying for the men's release, pleading their case all the way to the president, because she believes all three men are virgins and therefore could not be guilty of rape.
"They all had small red spots on the back of their ears," said Hong, 54. "The spots should have disappeared if they had had sex. My many years of experience told me that these men did not have sex before."
Her claims are unusual even for a country where acupuncture and traditional medicine are still common remedies, but Hong's determination to have the case reopened ? even threatening to light herself on fire ? led to prosecutors re-examining the case. The convictions eventually were suspended due to flaws by initial investigators.
"Thanks to her efforts, investigators revisited the case which otherwise could have been buried," said Nong Thi Hong Ha, a lawyer for one of the freed men.
Hong says she discovered the spot on Nguyen Dinh Kien's ear the first time he visited her for treatment four years ago. He was brought to the hospital from prison, where he was serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted of gang raping a 20-year-old woman in 2000.
After seeing the spot on Kien's ear, Hong believed his insistence that he was innocent. She later examined his two alleged accomplices and began a campaign for their release. Eventually, President Nguyen Minh Triet ordered that the case be re-examined.
Investigators who revisited the case discovered flaws, including the fact that testimonies of witnesses indicating their innocence were not included in the case's files, according to the local Pioneer newspaper. The three men, having served 10 years in jail, were released in January.
Vietnamese newspapers have dedicated profiles to Hong and her virginity test, crediting her with helping to free the men while not expressing any skepticism of her ability. Earlier this week, she went on an online chat on Pioneer newspaper where readers expressed their "great admiration" for her efforts.
She says she was first taught how to determine if a man has ever had sex by feeling their pulse. She later developed the ear-spot method on her own. She says the spot will only disappear after heterosexual intercourse and is not affected by gay sex or masturbation.
"I never thought that one day I would use this method to help the three men prove their innocence," said Hong, while treating a patient in her home on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Her virgin-detecting claims have drawn skepticism from other traditional medicine practitioners, who work with needles, herbs and other methods using centuries-old techniques to manipulate energy, or chi, in the body.
"I have never heard of this method before," said Nguyen Van Hao, 60, an acupuncturist who has practiced for 14 years. "From the medical point of view, it's impossible to determine whether a man has had sex or not by feeling the pulse or examining the red spot on their ears."
Hong, however, said she's convinced her method works after years of testing it on her students.
Hong says her reputation has now prompted other convicted rapists to seek her help in appealing their cases.
"I'm not planning to launch a campaign to clear innocent people who were falsely convicted of rape," she said. "But I'm willing to help people to prove their innocence, if they really are."
................................................................
why is the world so full of shit in a handbasket
wtf :SIB
a red dot behind the ear huh.
wont determine gay sex or masturbation
yeh ok
and ppl believe this chit
The Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam ? An acupuncturist who claims she can detect a man's virginity based on a small dot on the ear has become a minor celebrity in Vietnam, where she is credited with helping to free three convicted rapists from prison.
Traditional medicine practitioner Pham Thi Hong started lobbying for the men's release, pleading their case all the way to the president, because she believes all three men are virgins and therefore could not be guilty of rape.
"They all had small red spots on the back of their ears," said Hong, 54. "The spots should have disappeared if they had had sex. My many years of experience told me that these men did not have sex before."
Her claims are unusual even for a country where acupuncture and traditional medicine are still common remedies, but Hong's determination to have the case reopened ? even threatening to light herself on fire ? led to prosecutors re-examining the case. The convictions eventually were suspended due to flaws by initial investigators.
"Thanks to her efforts, investigators revisited the case which otherwise could have been buried," said Nong Thi Hong Ha, a lawyer for one of the freed men.
Hong says she discovered the spot on Nguyen Dinh Kien's ear the first time he visited her for treatment four years ago. He was brought to the hospital from prison, where he was serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted of gang raping a 20-year-old woman in 2000.
After seeing the spot on Kien's ear, Hong believed his insistence that he was innocent. She later examined his two alleged accomplices and began a campaign for their release. Eventually, President Nguyen Minh Triet ordered that the case be re-examined.
Investigators who revisited the case discovered flaws, including the fact that testimonies of witnesses indicating their innocence were not included in the case's files, according to the local Pioneer newspaper. The three men, having served 10 years in jail, were released in January.
Vietnamese newspapers have dedicated profiles to Hong and her virginity test, crediting her with helping to free the men while not expressing any skepticism of her ability. Earlier this week, she went on an online chat on Pioneer newspaper where readers expressed their "great admiration" for her efforts.
She says she was first taught how to determine if a man has ever had sex by feeling their pulse. She later developed the ear-spot method on her own. She says the spot will only disappear after heterosexual intercourse and is not affected by gay sex or masturbation.
"I never thought that one day I would use this method to help the three men prove their innocence," said Hong, while treating a patient in her home on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Her virgin-detecting claims have drawn skepticism from other traditional medicine practitioners, who work with needles, herbs and other methods using centuries-old techniques to manipulate energy, or chi, in the body.
"I have never heard of this method before," said Nguyen Van Hao, 60, an acupuncturist who has practiced for 14 years. "From the medical point of view, it's impossible to determine whether a man has had sex or not by feeling the pulse or examining the red spot on their ears."
Hong, however, said she's convinced her method works after years of testing it on her students.
Hong says her reputation has now prompted other convicted rapists to seek her help in appealing their cases.
"I'm not planning to launch a campaign to clear innocent people who were falsely convicted of rape," she said. "But I'm willing to help people to prove their innocence, if they really are."
................................................................
why is the world so full of shit in a handbasket
wtf :SIB
a red dot behind the ear huh.
wont determine gay sex or masturbation
yeh ok
and ppl believe this chit
Russian Mayor Irks Security Agency, and Suffers
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
LISTVYANKA, Russia ? On the edge of this Siberian village is a resort with a veiled guest list and armed guards at the front gate. When local officials have expressed unease about what goes on inside, the reply has always been the same: do not interfere.
Tatyana Kazakova at her trial in a court in Irkutsk, in Siberia.
Olga Falomeyeva.
Two and half years ago, the village?s mayor, Tatyana Kazakova, had enough. A major construction project at the resort had exposed a hot water main, threatening the heating supply for the entire village as temperatures plunged to 30 degrees below zero.
Ms. Kazakova was not a typical bureaucrat. She was one of the most successful businesswomen in this vast region, a real-estate magnate with a blond ponytail who represented a new breed of Russian entrepreneur.
She filed a lawsuit against the resort, and asked the regional prosecutor to open a criminal inquiry.
A criminal inquiry was indeed opened ? against Ms. Kazakova.
The resort belongs to the F.S.B., the main successor to the Soviet-era K.G.B., and the F.S.B. arrested her and had her prosecuted.
She is now on trial in a case that has already become a disquieting example of the power of the security agency in today?s Russia.
More than 25 agents have delved into every aspect of Ms. Kazakova?s life, carrying out what they have termed a ?counterintelligence operation.? Masked special service officers with automatic weapons have raided her associates? homes. More than 250 witnesses have been interrogated, and 67 volumes of evidence have been amassed, according to the trial records.
Even a prominent Kremlin official has declared that Ms. Kazakova is being persecuted, and so has the human rights ombudsman here in Siberia, who is a government official. Yet the F.S.B. remains largely untouchable.
?Why are they doing this, who fears me?? Ms. Kazakova, 47, asked in a letter that she passed to her lawyers last year. ?Why are they keeping me in jail, when I pose no threat??
The F.S.B., which protects national security and investigates major felonies, has never publicly explained why it decided to devote such resources to pursuing the mayor of a village of 1,700 people. She was charged with abuse of office and election irregularities, crimes that the F.S.B. rarely scrutinizes at the local level.
After her arrest in March 2008, she was held in a cell at Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1, a jail in the Siberian regional capital of Irkutsk that was once used by Stalin?s secret police. For nearly two and a half years, she was denied all contact with her fianc?, mother and three children, including a 15-year-old daughter who has a neurological disease.
Late on Wednesday night, after The New York Times made repeated inquiries to the F.S.B. about the charges against Ms. Kazakova, the judge in the case reversed previous decisions and agreed to release Ms. Kazakova on bail. The next day, Ms. Kazakova embraced her family for the first time since 2008.
The judge is expected to issue a verdict in Ms. Kazakova?s trial within the next few weeks. Her lawyers say, based on how the trial was conducted, that the judge does not seem open to the possibility that Ms. Kazakova is not guilty. She could face several years in prison.
Russia is a freer society than its Soviet predecessor, and the F.S.B. is smaller and less intrusive than the K.G.B. But the agency still functions mostly in secret, with an intimidating reputation and almost no oversight from other branches of government.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, the country?s paramount leader, is a former director of the F.S.B. and a former K.G.B. officer, and since his rise to power a decade ago, the agency has wielded tremendous influence in government and industry. Mr. Putin has appointed many former agency officers to senior positions. They are known as the siloviki, from the Russian word for ?force.?
The agency has regularly faced criticism for undertaking politically motivated inquiries, especially those involving opposition politicians. It has also prosecuted scientists and academics for what it has contended were illegal transfers of classified information abroad.
................................................................
This should make you proud to be an American where at least you know your free.
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
LISTVYANKA, Russia ? On the edge of this Siberian village is a resort with a veiled guest list and armed guards at the front gate. When local officials have expressed unease about what goes on inside, the reply has always been the same: do not interfere.
Tatyana Kazakova at her trial in a court in Irkutsk, in Siberia.
Olga Falomeyeva.
Two and half years ago, the village?s mayor, Tatyana Kazakova, had enough. A major construction project at the resort had exposed a hot water main, threatening the heating supply for the entire village as temperatures plunged to 30 degrees below zero.
Ms. Kazakova was not a typical bureaucrat. She was one of the most successful businesswomen in this vast region, a real-estate magnate with a blond ponytail who represented a new breed of Russian entrepreneur.
She filed a lawsuit against the resort, and asked the regional prosecutor to open a criminal inquiry.
A criminal inquiry was indeed opened ? against Ms. Kazakova.
The resort belongs to the F.S.B., the main successor to the Soviet-era K.G.B., and the F.S.B. arrested her and had her prosecuted.
She is now on trial in a case that has already become a disquieting example of the power of the security agency in today?s Russia.
More than 25 agents have delved into every aspect of Ms. Kazakova?s life, carrying out what they have termed a ?counterintelligence operation.? Masked special service officers with automatic weapons have raided her associates? homes. More than 250 witnesses have been interrogated, and 67 volumes of evidence have been amassed, according to the trial records.
Even a prominent Kremlin official has declared that Ms. Kazakova is being persecuted, and so has the human rights ombudsman here in Siberia, who is a government official. Yet the F.S.B. remains largely untouchable.
?Why are they doing this, who fears me?? Ms. Kazakova, 47, asked in a letter that she passed to her lawyers last year. ?Why are they keeping me in jail, when I pose no threat??
The F.S.B., which protects national security and investigates major felonies, has never publicly explained why it decided to devote such resources to pursuing the mayor of a village of 1,700 people. She was charged with abuse of office and election irregularities, crimes that the F.S.B. rarely scrutinizes at the local level.
After her arrest in March 2008, she was held in a cell at Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1, a jail in the Siberian regional capital of Irkutsk that was once used by Stalin?s secret police. For nearly two and a half years, she was denied all contact with her fianc?, mother and three children, including a 15-year-old daughter who has a neurological disease.
Late on Wednesday night, after The New York Times made repeated inquiries to the F.S.B. about the charges against Ms. Kazakova, the judge in the case reversed previous decisions and agreed to release Ms. Kazakova on bail. The next day, Ms. Kazakova embraced her family for the first time since 2008.
The judge is expected to issue a verdict in Ms. Kazakova?s trial within the next few weeks. Her lawyers say, based on how the trial was conducted, that the judge does not seem open to the possibility that Ms. Kazakova is not guilty. She could face several years in prison.
Russia is a freer society than its Soviet predecessor, and the F.S.B. is smaller and less intrusive than the K.G.B. But the agency still functions mostly in secret, with an intimidating reputation and almost no oversight from other branches of government.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, the country?s paramount leader, is a former director of the F.S.B. and a former K.G.B. officer, and since his rise to power a decade ago, the agency has wielded tremendous influence in government and industry. Mr. Putin has appointed many former agency officers to senior positions. They are known as the siloviki, from the Russian word for ?force.?
The agency has regularly faced criticism for undertaking politically motivated inquiries, especially those involving opposition politicians. It has also prosecuted scientists and academics for what it has contended were illegal transfers of classified information abroad.
................................................................
This should make you proud to be an American where at least you know your free.
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RINqibpWOzQ&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RINqibpWOzQ&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
